Hainan in Frame for Season Five Race

An event in China is becoming increasingly likely for the ABB Formula E Championship as it starts to form its draft calendar for Season Five.

E-racing365 has learned that a race in Hainan, an island in the southernmost part of China, is the most likely venue for a Chinese E-Prix, potentially in the early spring of 2019.

The island is located in the Gulf of Tonkin between the Chinese mainland and the Vietnamese coast.

Formula E personnel have visited the the capital Haikou in recent months and according to one source, discussions are said to be progressing well.

A race in March could become part of a back-to-back event with Hong Kong, which is scheduled to host its third event, again as a double-header.

China is Formula E’s key market and the championship has made no secret of its desire to host additional races in the region, with Techeetah managing director Ivan Yim stating that a Chinese round is a “necessity”.

Beijing hosted the inaugural round of the championship in 2014 but disappeared from the calendar by Season Three, prior to the inaugural Hong Kong E-Prix one season later.

China is a large market for OEMs to market new technology, especially for traditional automotive manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Nissan and Jaguar.

The two Chinese teams in Formula E, Techeetah and NIO, also have a significant desire to race in its home country.

Formula E is set to submit a draft calendar to the FIA in March, before a more defined provisional version is delivered in June and a final ratified calendar set to be issued in September.

Sam Smith is e-racing365's Formula E Editor. A 20-year veteran in motorsports media, including press officer roles in both the FIA Sportscar Championship and at Lola Group, Smith is a well-known face in the Formula E paddock, where he served as series editor for Motorsport.com from 2014-17. Contact Sam